Industry News

by Contributing Editor On Nov 23, 2009

Briefings
aea —Aircraft Electronics Association submits comments to FAA in response to the FAA’s safety management system proposed rulemaking. AEA says it does not support FAA’s broad-based proposal to mandate an independent safety management system for maintenance organizations, and says the SMS proposal is an excessive, unwarranted, and unjustified administrative burden.

all weather, inc. — a manufacturer of weather information systems and meteorological sensors based in Sacramento, is selected to provide the County of Los Angeles four Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS) to be installed at airports in the greater Los Angeles County.

atlantic city int’l airport — gets new round-trip service from Toronto via WestJet.

avfuel corp. — announces that three of its branded fixed base operations will be serving as U.S. Gateways for aviation traffic bound for Olympic Control Areas in Canada during the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010: Western Aircraft of Gowen Field, Boise; Spokane Airways, Inc. of Spokane Int’l Airport; and Washington Sierra Air Center of Reno.

Baa pittsburgh — developer of the AIRMALL® at Pittsburgh Int’l Airport, takes first place among U.S. airports in the food, shops, and amenities category in Condé Nast Traveler’s 12th Annual Business Travel Awards.

Bob Hope Airport — FAA has rejected a bid by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to stop night flights at Burbank’s airport. Despite claims that a flight curfew would reduce noise in surrounding neighborhoods, FAA rejected the proposal because it would burden commerce.

Broward county (fl) — awards the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport expansion of Runway 9R/27L project to the team led by PBS&J and RS&H. The $810 million capital improvement involves the complete reconstruction of the south runway at FLL, expanding it from 5,000 feet to over 8,000 feet. The complex project will span an active federal highway and railroad, require large amounts of fill, and the runway tunnel and taxiway bridges will be bid out as separate design-build projects.

continental airlines — adds three new nonstop routes at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Now a member of the Star Alliance, Continental adds Washington D.C., Edmonton, and Frankfurt, Germany.

delta air lines — announces new nonstop flights from Detroit Metro Airport to Hong Kong and Seoul starting next summer.

dot inspector general — reports it will look into whether pilot experience and pay correlate to commercial aviation accidents. IG says regional carriers are a safety concern as they have been involved in the last six fatal commercial accidents. NTSB has cited pilot performance as a potential contributory factor in four of these, including the Colgan Air crash on February 12.

faa — Federal Aviation Adminis-tration signals to Atlanta that a new tentative airport lease agreement with Delta Air Lines contains what it calls “potentially anticompetitive provisions.” In a letter to Ben DeCosta, GM of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport, FAA, in its review of the proposed lease and use agreement for the Central Passenger Terminal Complex, found seven points of contention, including questions about potentially anticompetitive provisions that could make it more difficult for other carriers to enter or expand in the market. A key issue is the proposed continuation of a Majority in Interest Clause.

Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin and Delta had announced a tentative seven-year lease that would help ensure completion of the $1.3 billion Maynard Holbrook Jackson Int’l Terminal, a point of contention between the city and Delta over long-term lease and capital costs. The deal to extend Delta’s lease through 2017 would replace a 30-year deal set to expire next year and is subject to approval by the Atlanta City Council and Delta’s board of directors.

Also, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt announces that serious runway incursions were down 50 percent for the most recent 12-month period compared to the previous year. There were 12 serious incursions in FY2009 which ended Sept. 30, with only two involving commercial carriers, compared to 25 such events in fiscal year 2008, with nine involving commercial carriers.

flight safety foundation — announces that its past chairman, Amb. Edward W. Stimpson, is awarded the 2009 FSF-Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. Stimpson served as the Representative of the U.S. to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for five years, starting in 1999, a post that carries the rank of ambassador. He spent 25 years as president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

forecast international — of Newtown, CT, in its new “The Market for Light Military Rotorcraft” study, projects a total of 2,026 rotorcraft in this market segment will be produced during 2009-2018, with a value estimated at $20.8 billion.

frasca international — of Urbana, IL, receives an order for two Cessna C172 FNPT IIs (Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainers) for Saint Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation (SPSUCA), Russia.

grupo ferrovial sa — based in Spain says it expects to book a EUR142 million loss from the sale of U.K. Gatwick Airport to Global Infrastructure Partners. Ferrovial’s BAA Ltd. unit says it reached an agreement to sell Gatwick to the investment fund which also owns London’s City Airport for EUR1.66 billion.

iata — International Air Transport Association reiterates its call for a global sectoral approach led by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to handle aviation’s emissions in the post-Kyoto period. At a recent ICAO High Level Meeting on Aviation and Climate Change, governments agreed to continue to address aviation and climate change through ICAO and to work closely with industry.

jackson county (OR) — will offer airlines incentives to establish more routes and services at Medford Rogue Valley Int’l Airport, with the county waiving landing fees for a year for airlines that offer new destinations or significantly different services. Horizon Air, United Express, Delta Connection, and Allegiant Air currently offer some 60 flights a day in and out of Medford.

jacksonville aviation authority — reports that the number of passengers traveling through Jacksonville Int’l Airport (JAX) rose in September, the first monthly increase in 17 months, with number of passengers at JAX increasing by 868 passengers as compared with September 2008. The total number of passengers in September was 421,969, a 0.21 percent jump.

kansas city downtown airport — is installing an Engineered Material Arresting System on Runway 1/19. Phase I of the project will extend the south end of the runway by 100 feet, and the runway will remain open for the duration of the project, which will be completed by late December.

kissimmee air museum — at the Kissimmee (FL) Gateway Airport, home of Warbird Adventures T-6 flights, expands its museum to include a new hangar and new exhibits and programs. The operation now encompasses more than 30,000 sq ft.

lambert st. louis int’l Airport — temporarily suspends landing fees and rental costs to airlines that start service to new cities. By setting aside nearly $1.7 million for the airline incentive program, Lambert officials plan to recoup some non-stop service the airport will lose in April, when American Airlines significantly slashes its St. Louis schedule.

nata — National Air Transportation Association works with FAA to resolve errors in the Final Rule, Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Pilot School Certification published in August, resulting in the release of a corrections document from FAA.

NATA also is reviewing an FAA draft Compliance Guidance Letter that addresses through-the-fence (TTF) operations at federally obligated airports. In the letter, FAA states, “As a general principle, FAA does not support agreements that grant (through-the-fence) access.” The draft letter also strongly encourages airport sponsors to submit any TTF agreement to their Airports District or Regional Office prior to approval to ensure compliance with federal grant assurances.

NATA and NBAA announce plans to coordinate, in San Antonio, NATA’s 2010 FBO Leadership Conference, taking place January 25-26, with NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, set for January 26-29.

nbaa — National Business Aviation Association partners with ARGUS International, Baldwin Aviation, and AeronomX to offer new Safety Management System (SMS) Workshops for business aviation. Beginning in early 2010, the new SMS training will include “Introduction to SMS” and the “SMS Toolkit Workshop;” www.nbaa.org.

oakland int’l airport — is awarded an additional $2 million in federal economic stimulus funds to continue pavement projects that include the east apron and cargo areas. The project has been awarded $14.9 million in stimulus funds.

panama city-bay county int’l airport — and Industrial District (Airport Authority) votes to name the new airport now under construction at West Bay the Northwest Florida – Panama City Int’l Airport. Airport is set to open in May 2010.

rolls-royce — introduces the latest engine in its AE 3007 series — the AE 3007A2, the exclusive powerplant for the Legacy 650, the new Embraer large executive jet.

salina (ks) airport authority — opens a 100LL avgas self-service fueling station in an effort to sustain and grow general aviation operations.

southwest airlines — announces it will serve the new Northwest Florida - Panama City Int’l Airport when it opens in May 2010. Various local organizations committed to help launch the new service, including a Northwest Florida business group which created the regional destination brand, THE Beach. Additionally, The St. Joe Co., developer of adjacent property, enters into a strategic alliance with Southwest.

Southwest also announces expanded service out of Lambert-St. Louis Int’l Airport, adding nine flights to its May 2010 schedule. Six of the flights will be new destinations: Nashville, New Orleans, Seattle, San Diego, Raleigh-Durham, and Los Angeles.

u.s. house — passes aviation safety legislation, H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, with the intention of enhancing airline safety by significantly increasing the flight hours required for commercial first officers and strengthening pilot training.

u.s. senate — approves a final version of the FY 2010 spending bill that provides funding to DHS and TSA for the fiscal year that began October 1, sending the measure to President Obama. The final agreement includes more than $1 billion for airport baggage system upgrades and provides funding and congressional direction on the Large Aircraft Security Program, TSA staffing, checkpoint screening technology, and air cargo security. Key provisions include:

$1.028 billion for the purchase and installation of explosives detection equipment in airports.

$128.7 million for checkpoint technology.

$123 million for air cargo security to help meet the August 2010 deadline for 100 percent screening of cargo on passenger aircraft.

yingling aviation — of Wichita, KS has expands its maintenance and service capabilities to include props manufactured by Hartzell Propeller.

LAX Approves Bradley Upgrades

Two contracts awarded by the Los Angeles Airport Commission will create new security checkpoints, ticket counters, immigration and customs space, and also add passenger lounges and a large central hall with restaurants and shops, adding a million square feet to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Two new concourses will add nine new gates, two scheduled to open in 2012. The rest of the construction is expected to be completed the following year. The $1.3 billion in contracts is the largest ever awarded for a single project in Los Angeles, city officials say.

At Dulles, $77 Million Expansion Opens

Washington Dulles International Airport opens its dramatically redesigned, modernized, and expanded arrivals environment with the newly completed 104,000-sq. ft. expansion — the first of three project phases which will boost the international arrivals building size from the original 136,000 square feet to 340,000 square feet.

Designed by national architectural/engineering firm PGAL, phase one features an arrivals hall area that is double in size and has a second story with an open mezzanine level. The expansion permits an increase in inspection positions from 38 to 50, allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection Services to process 2,500 passengers an hour, up from 1,400.